Streams of Silver
by Mysteriousity1
Summary: A girl with a pretty name and a boy who is a river meet again, but can Haku save the girl who can't remember her name? - After Spirited Away, Chihiro returns to the spirit world, as a spirit herself. But she must be reborn, and renamed, or else she will forget everything about her old life and become One-Without-A-Soul. But how can Haku help if she can't remember him?
1. Chapter 1

They say in death, a human is reborn as a spirit. Most believe they will become the guardians of their family, ancestral spirits to live on and protect their home. Others imagine they will become animals, beautiful koi swimming in the palace of the royalty. Then there are the few who believe in dragons. To believe in dragons, one must know a dragon-and that is where our story begins, with a dragon who is a river, and a girl with a pretty name.

* * *

All was darkness. The darkness was good, it was safe and cool. It wrapped around and around, a cocoon of soft silk, of sleep. She liked the darkness. Much better than the light, the world that she faintly remembered. Even those memories were fading though. She did not care. She slept.

* * *

"Child, wake, you must wake up…" A voice broke the darkness, found her, and she curled closer unto herself, desperately wanting to sleep longer, to ignore the kind voice beckoning. The call was too firm to ignore, and she hated it for a single moment, hated it so much she woke.

The world was different. The light was softer, warmer, dancing along the wooden floor. It was firelight. A strange being came into her vision, one that had no face, only a mask. She growled and the shadow shrank, and the voice returned, scolding gently, "Now now, you may be a guest, but you mustn't be rude child." An old woman with a large head and short body, dressed in blue and her white hair tied neatly in a bun, bent to meet her eyes. She tried to speak, but only animal whines came out. The woman sighed and patted her head, "I know, but please dear, just stay still. I'll get you something to eat." She lifted her skirts and walked towards a table, where breads and cheeses lay. She began cutting and assembling dinner as the shadow hesitantly approached her again. She roared, but the no-faced being continued towards her. A dark hand reached out in wonder, gingerly petting her nose. She rumbled, disconcerted, but did not roar again. It continued to stroke the soft fur there and she yawned, the feeling good. She liked this no-face. The woman returned and smiled, murmuring, "Isn't that much better? If you're nice, others are too. Isn't that right No Face?"

The shadow made odd ah-ah sounds and nodded eagerly, drawing a smile from the creature on the floor. The woman fed her slowly, only speaking once, "Open your mouth. Good." Then the creature once more slipped into sleep, but this time it was warm. As warm as her cottage.

This time when she woke, the light was sunlight, and when she lifted her head to search for the woman and the spirit, she was surprised to see them weaving. The woman paused in her constant rhythm, smiling widely at her guest, "So. You're awake. You can call me Granny, and you may stay as long as you like. What is your name?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but froze, confusion sweeping like a flood through her. She did not know her name.

"You haven't got one yet then?" queried Granny when she didn't answer right away, as if this were all too common here. Wherever here was. "Hm. I suppose I'll just have to call you something then, won't I? How about...Aya? Aya is a good name for a girl." The newly-christened Aya blinked slowly, bored, then dropped her head and rolled away from Granny.

"Hmph, no manners. I don't know what I expected," the old woman sighed, and began spinning again with the help of the masked shadow. She called out in some annoyance, "I used to know someone who hadn't a lick of manners. You remind me of her." Aya snorted and attempted to sleep again. Granny tsked and shook her head, giving up on rousing the cranky girl from her mood.

Just as Aya began to doze again, the windows shook with a loud clattering noise, and Granny sang out happily, jumping up from her spinning—to the disappointment of No Face, who had been enjoying himself quite nicely, "Another guest!"

The door was flung open and Aya spun her large head in surprise, a shape blurred as it ran inside, slamming the old door behind it. In the wake of the loud entrance was a boy, a boy of sixteen with black hair and pale skin, with a wide smile and bright eyes he greeted Granny, "Hello Granny, it's me, Haku!"

He turned on his heel and noticed the curious creature, eyes widening as he gasped, "Another dragon!"

Aya looked this way and that, lost, _another dragon? Where?_

"Yes. She's our guest, and her name, for now at least, is Aya," said Granny, though she continued in a light scold, "Stop staring, aren't you even going to give Granny a hug?"

He laughed and it was the most beautiful sound in the world, like wind chimes, or a burbling stream in spring. Aya felt warm all over and nearly forgot the sentence just uttered. _Wait._

She slowly looked behind her, fear a sharp chord ringing as she finally saw, that yes, she had a long body covered in fur, and even, was that—a tail! She did the only thing one would do if one just realized that they were a dragon; she fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

Aya awoke to yet another face filling her vision, one with narrowed black irises and pale skin. She skittered back, claws clacking on the floorboards, in utter panic now. She thrashed and roared, her breathing short and there was a fuzzy edge to her vision, everything was too tight, why was she a dragon? Why was this a surprise?

Had she been something else before?

She was lost, memories flicking past her mind's eye of bright colors regally marching across a bridge, a man with many arms, a pencil scratching words onto a test sheet, holding hands with a boy…

She whined, mind awhirl as Haku attempted to hush her, calm her, finally sharply saying, "Quiet your incessant whimpering!"

She shrank back from him, another memory tickling in the back of her head…but fading before she could chase it, shaking in her shock and confusion. He softened and sighed, shaking his head, addressing Granny's thoughtful gaze, "I suppose she doesn't remember a thing."

Granny nodded mutely, stroking her chin as she studied the creature now curled into a ball with eyes shut tightly and claws drawn to her chest. Much like a fetal position, which many creatures practiced. But the way the dragon had reacted suggested she wasn't used to this form, perhaps…perhaps she was human originally. Granny knew the legend well though, no human could become dragon without having…met…one. What human had met one in recent years?

Her eyes widened and she grabbed Haku's arm, whispering heatedly, "But I do. You know the legends almost as well as I, I believe she may be—" 

"I know," he answered quietly back, "I would know those eyes anywhere, especially full of fear."

"Then you know what she must do," Granny said gravely, fingers tightening around his arm in a warning.

"Of course I do," he snapped, and she yanked her hand away from him, busying her hands with the spinning left to be done to the pleasure of No Face.

Haku glanced at Aya, concern briefly entering his cold gaze. Some habits did not fade over time. He murmured softly, where she could not hear him, "Please Aya, remember me…if you are meant to be here, I don't think I can bear you forgetting me again."

Morning came with beautiful light streaming from the many windows in the house, bringing with it Aya's awakening, her head lifting from the hard wood. She cast her eyes about and found Granny asleep in a chair by the fire, obviously watching over her through the night. She felt guilty for treating her the way she had, determining to make up for it somehow.

What if she made breakfast? Mother loved that! Mother? Who was mother and why did she know she liked breakfast to be made for her?!

Nevermind that. Aya carefully tested her motor skills, wincing slightly at her aching sinews from being so curled up last night. She stretched as best she could, quieting her claws as much as possible as she went to the table. She stared at the knife there for a few moments then attempted to take it in her teeth, but it kept slipping out. She snorted and hesitated before trying again, this time with her claws, and for some reason she was much better at this, sitting on her haunches with her tail curled over her lap as she carefully sliced some cheese and bread, as well as some bacon. The bacon would be a bit more difficult though.

She looked around and noticed the pan next to the fire and went over to grab it, slapping the bacon in it, only to pause. The fire had died to only a few embers still flickering. Then, as if she had always been able to do so, she knew just what to do to purse her lips, and send a few heated sparks into the dying fire, and it flared back to life to her delight. She held the pan over the fire and the meat sizzled, though the smell both made her hungry as well as squeamish, deciding to simply leave Granny to eat it. She would stick with the cheese and bread thank you.

Just as she was finishing putting everything on plates, she heard a yawn and met stares with the sleepy eyes of Granny. She rumbled happily and took the plate in her claws, waddling on her haunches a lttle awkwardly to her seated hostess. Granny blinked and yawned again, surprise finally registering in her as she noticed the meal. "You made this?" she asked incredulously.

Aya nodded and pushed the plate into her hands, Granny simply shrugging and eating what she had been given. Her expression changed from hesitation to pride as she finished, smiling at the dragon whose tail slapped the ground impatiently, nervous as she waited for a reply, "Well done. The bacon's a little on the burnt side and the cheese a little thick in slices, but…very good for being what you are Aya."

This time Aya slapped her tail twice in happiness pressing her nose to Granny's chest, receiving a laugh and a scratch between the ears for her trouble.

Perhaps this wasn't going to be too horrible.

"I'm afraid you can't stay here much longer though child," Granny sighed softly. What?! But she was just getting the hang of things! "Haku is waiting for you outside. He will show you the way."


End file.
